


Some Walls Fall, Some Walls Remain

by FaceofMer



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Berlin Wall, Family, Gen, Kid Dean Winchester, Kid Fic, Kid Sam Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-04
Updated: 2013-08-04
Packaged: 2017-12-22 08:44:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/911220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaceofMer/pseuds/FaceofMer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's November 9, 1989. John Winchester comes home early from a hunt because he heard the Berlin Wall is coming down. Dean tries to understand what it all means.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Some Walls Fall, Some Walls Remain

Sam carefully practiced his letters, tongue between his teeth as he focused. Dean sat next to him, half reading his own homework, half watching some random movie on TV. Dad had left three days ago. At least this school wasn’t so bad, and Sam really loved his new teacher. Fourth grade was just more of the same to Dean.

Suddenly, Dean heard the roar of the Impala. His hand went first to the gun on the table. Dad wasn’t due back for another week at least.  He couldn’t imagine what would bring him back this early. Dean got to his feet and went for the first aid kit in the duffel as Dad unlocked the door. To his surprise, Dad ignored him, grabbed the remote from the table and started flipping through the TV channels as he sat on the edge of the bed. Dean slid the kit back into the bag and carefully set the gun on the table. His pencil stilled, Sam watched Dad, worried.  That spurred to Dean to speak.

“Dad? What’s going on?”

He found the channel he was looking for. To Dean, it just looked like a crowd of people, mostly speaking some language he didn’t understand. “It’s Berlin,” said Dad, as if that explained everything.

Geography wasn’t Dean’s best subject, outside of where they could drive to. Sam was the one to speak up. “That’s, like, over the ocean, isn’t it?”

“Germany, in Europe. There’s East Germany and West Germany and a long time ago they built a wall through the middle of it. It’s coming down tonight.” Dad’s eyes were fixed on the TV.

Watching Dad’s face, Dean had to ask. “Is it important?”

Dad turned and gave his older son a strange look. “Of course it’s important. They’re saying the Soviet Union might be next.”

Looking away, Dean saw Sam digging through his books. He pulled one out, lay it on the bed and found a map of Europe. His tongue was sticking out again as he ran a finger across the map, looking for East and West Germany. “Here. And, um, this is Berlin?”

Looking over, Dad nodded. “Yeah.” He rubbed his chin. “Look, boys, this has nothing to do with hunting, not really. But this country,” he pointed at the Soviet Union. “We’ve been on the brink of war with them for a long time.”

“Is that why there’s an East and West Germany?” asked Dean, studying the map.

“Sort of. It happened after World War Two ended.”

“Is that the war you fought in?”

Dad shook his head in disbelief. “I’m not that old. What are they teaching you in school?”

Dean blushed and looked at the TV. A man was using a sledgehammer on a heavily graffitied wall. “What about the job?” he asked after a few moments of silence.

“Still a few things to work out.”

Dean watched his Dad’s face again as he turned back to the TV. Sam moved to sit next to him, leaning against him a bit as they watched. Getting up, Dean put away the homework, making sure Sam’s book bag was ready for the next morning. Then he started to clean up the dinner dishes.

“Dean.” Dad called to him.

“Yes, sir?”

“Come here,” he nodded the other side of him.

Dean climbed up next to him, noticing Sam had fallen asleep. Dad shifted Sam so he was using his dad’s leg for a pillow. “I came home because I wanted to share this with you boys.”

Nodding, Dean tried to understand.

“There is more to the world then hunting,” said Dad softly, almost as if he were reminding himself.

“But what we do is important, right? We save people.”

Dad was quiet for a long moment. “Of course it is,” he said at last. “Sometimes…” he shook his head and stood, carefully picking up Sam and putting him onto the bed he was sharing with Dean. He walked over to the mini fridge and grabbed a beer. “Just because I’m not expected home for a few days, that doesn’t mean you can leave a mess.”

Dean bit his lip and moved to finish cleaning up the dishes. “I’m sorry.”

With a grunt, Dad settled back into his bed, picking up the remote again after taking off his boots. Dean knew that meant he was spending the night. Probably he’d be gone before they got up in the morning.  Picking up a few scraps of clothes that had gotten tossed on the floor, Dean noticed they’d have to go to the laundromat before the week was out. Have to go when it was busy, otherwise someone might wonder what they were doing there without a parent. 

He put away the book Sam had taken out, moved the gun to the end table, then crawled into bed next to Sam, watching Dad as he flipped through channels. He knew Dad had been in a war before he’d started hunting, sometime before meeting Mom. He quickly shut his thoughts down, thinking about Mom wouldn’t help anyone. _Angels are watching over you_. Stupid. There weren’t any angels, just monsters that moved in the dark.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me at [merindab.tumblr.com.](http://merindab.tumblr.com/)


End file.
